Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences

Sustainable Community Food Systems

Overview

The Sustainable Community Food Systems (SCFS) program serves to train new generations of food system professionals to think critically and across disciplinary boundaries to actively solve real-world problems through work in agriculture, policy-making, planning, business, research, health sciences and education.

A “sustainable community food system” is defined as one in which producers, retailers, community members and governmental and non-governmental organizations partner to create a vibrant and resilient local food economy that enhances and sustains the environmental, economic, and social health of a community.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the BAS in Sustainable Community Food Systems (SCFS), students will demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of key ecological and social issues in modern agriculture and their proximate and systemic causes.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the functional role of biodiversity in provisioning globally important ecosystem services to and from agroecosystems.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of key socio-economic and political factors influencing ecological and social sustainability in agriculture.
  • Demonstrate the ability to read, write, speak and think critically about contemporary social and environmental issues in food and agriculture at the local, state, national and international level.
  • Demonstrate practical skills associated with diversified organic agricultural production for the Hawai‘i context.

Internships / Practicums

SCFS students spend a full year taking two separate senior practicum courses to further develop their skills of translating and applying classroom content (theory) to the real world (practice). The SCFS “Farming Systems Practicum” provides students with the opportunity to intern at commercial or traditional farms while studying both the agronomy and ecological sustainability of farming systems in Hawai‘i and beyond. SCFS students in the “Food System Practicum” course work with state agencies and local or national NGOs learning how to advance an agenda of food system transformation toward ecological sustainability, social justice and economic viability.

Careers and Earning Potential

A job in sustainability encompasses the concept of stewardship – the responsible management of resources. Sustainability professionals seek to improve an organization’s environmental, social, and economic impact. Potential careers span a diverse set of industries, including food access coordinator, organic certification specialist, organic farm manager, school garden educator, food access coordinator, and farmer’s market managers. Some have specific titles such as sustainability manager and director of corporate responsibility. Sustainability professionals in other roles may have experience as industrial managers, logistics (transportation, storage, and distribution) managers, environmental scientists, civil engineers, or recycling coordinators.

Future careers in sustainability management include:

  • Farmer, rancher and other agricultural managers: $69,300
  • Agriculture and food scientist: $58,610
  • Kindergarten through elementary school teacher: $53,090
  • High school teacher: $55,050
  • Soil and plant scientists: $58,940
  • Environmental scientists and specialists, including health: $62,920
  • Conservation scientists: $59,930
  • Social and community service managers: $59,970
  • Food service managers: $47,960
  • Environmental engineers: $79,050

For more information on careers and earning potential, visit the Hawaiʻi Career Explorer website.

Partnerships

The UH West O‘ahu Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Community Food Systems was developed in partnership with MA‘O Organic Farms and Kamehameha Schools. The SCFS program maintains collaborative relationships with many local and national organizations and institutions, including: the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), UH Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Office of Sustainability, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, MA‘O Organic Farms, UC Davis Student Experimental Farm, Ka‘ala Farm, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United, Kohala Center, Mohala Farms, Hui Ku Maoli Ola Native Plants, Paepae o He‘eia Fishpond, Center for Food Safety, Kahumana Farms, Waipa Foundation, Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, Kua‘aina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA), and the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), among many others.